FROM THE SOCIETY NEWS DESK: BUFFIEGRAMS
By Lady Lulu 'Buffie' Capturfilingham
Answering Urgent Buffiegrams
Hello again dearies!! I missed you all so much last week. But, I guess even a Demi-Goddess needs a lavish getaway away from the Chronicle offices. But, I am back this week to answer some mail that just seems to keep piling up. Some readers felt a desire to ask my advice regarding their social dilemmas, and I was only too ecstatic to advise them on the proper etiquette. If you have a dilemma of your own, please do not hesitate to send me a note, and I will be most happy to answer you.
Dear Buffie, The invitations for my Summer Gala on Selena were being transported by an agent for Armstrong Cuthbert when the cargo was seized by some Galactic Administration Customs officials. I have therefore not received the invitations, and if I were to order new ones, I could not get them out in time to meet the customary three week notice before my gala. Whatever should I do? Signed, Invitationless.
Dear Invitationless, My condolences on your predicament. Nothing can raise a tizzy more than an overzealous customs agent seizing a harmless cargo of party invitations. I am sure their superiors had a good laugh when the GA stevedores broke open those crates. But, now you can't meet the three week deadline for guests to receive their invitations. This would be a huge breach of etiquette no matter how rude the customs agents were. I am sure you do not want to cause your guests angst should they have made other plans. So, as I see it, the only choice you have if you do not want a spotty attendance is to move the date so as to assure a good turnout. Go ahead and order new invitations with the new date, and go pick them up yourself. I have heard nothing but problems about those agents being used by Armstrong Cuthbert. They can be worse than Cargon City cabbies during rush hour. Signed, Buffie.
Dear Buffie, I have just met the most wonderful Adventurer and I see him as often as possible when I am not hauling to repay the loan for my ship. When I am hauling, I miss him and want to comm him, or post a message on the board telling him I miss him. But, I just met him and don't want to be too forward and scare him off. What is the proper etiquette in comms and posts during a ::swoons:: budding relationship? Signed, A Wistful Commander.
Dear Wistful, Congratulations on meeting hopefully Mr. Right... and he is an Adventurer! Best of Luck. You are right in that there is a danger in moving too fast. I would advise that if you wish to comm or post a message to your guy, just leave it generic in the beginning, saying things such as, 'Hi' and 'How are you?' Let him know you are thinking of him and let him make the first move. When he starts comming and posting messages to you, you know you have piqued his interest, and then and only then, it's time to move in for the kill. Men are so simple to read that with a little experience, you will be able to predict his moves within a week. Good luck and let me know how it turns out. Signed, Buffie.
Well, that is all the space I have been allotted this week by Hazed. I will be at next weekend's Fed II Grand Opening Party hobnobbing with the Socialites of Fed II. I hope to see you all there! Ta ta for now, Dahhhhhhlings!
THE FEDIVERSE 101: VENUSIAN CULTURE
by Dr. J. E. Gottemult-Uneaeh
Welcome, Fedizens, to this week's installment of The Fediverse 101, the one and only source for cultural insight in the galaxy – both high and low!
You may be scratching your heads, wondering what culture has to do with the everyday world of trading, planet management and hauling, but let me assure you, culture is all around you in Fed, from the second you emerge from the stasis field.
Anthropology is the study of culture, which can be loosely defined as pretty much anything sentient beings create, from food and clothing to architecture and political systems as well as religious beliefs and the arts. The Martian ruins, Chez Diesel's and the Venusian Freedom Party's propaganda are all excellent examples. As the senior Professor of Anthropology at the University of Mars, I have noticed how little appreciation these, and other, cultural sites within our galaxy have received. Therefore, since I am now approaching retirement, with groats to burn traveling the galaxy, I thought it was high time that these places got the attention they deserve.
My first chance for study came this past weekend when I was attending the Conference for Indigenous Plant-like Natives' Rights to Shared Sunlight Legislation on Venus. While waiting for my luggage to exit the luxury liner, I stopped in at the Spaceport Bar. Here is an excellent example of the workingthingy's habitual rest stop. The service is mediocre, the drinks are sub-par, yet the rough and rowdy crowd enjoy their beers and margaritas because it is a ritual end to the long Venusian workday. This bar is one example of the common Fed trend to relax and unwind with the assistance of alcoholic beverages – buying rounds being the most cost-effective way to sustain yourself through those long hauling nights.
My luggage secured, I was on my way to the Conference when I passed a small museum, Dr. Fogg's Martial Arts Emporium. Being something of a hand-to-hand combat aficionado in my youth (although Mars' low gravity has allowed me the opportunity to keep up with it in my old age,) I excitedly stepped in. After a short glance around, I noted that I need to update my prescription, as Fogg's museum is about the marital arts, not karate. As a well-attended museum, the interesting choice of subject matter reveals a Freudian preoccupation by both Venusians and tourists with said arts. Venus being the center of this sort of production in the Sol system, I suddenly re-evaluated exactly what sort of hotel I had booked myself into.
I meant to stop in at the aforementioned Venus Freedom Party Headquarters but the Conference took up most of my remaining time. I did stumble across a political manifesto during my liner change on Mercury and I must say that, although small now, the party seems to have a bright future.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed my ethnographic eye on the galaxy. Join me later for another edition of The Fediverse 101.
FROM THE SOCIETY NEWS DESK: THE LAUNCH PARTY
By Lady Lulu 'Buffie' Capturfilingham
Fed II Gala Party
Hello again dearies!! I know this is not my normal week to grace the pages of the Fed II Star, but when Hazie asked me to cover the Gala, I just couldn't refuse! I arrived at the newly remodeled and reopened Chez Diesel as the party was just getting underway. Can you say black and chrome everywhere? Very chic! I was glad to see the ornate fountain was still in its usual place, although it has been redone to fit the new décor. The new spiral staircase leading to the roof looked mahvelous! And, what a nice surprise for everyone entering the party to be given a glass of Diesel's Delerium, her special ale only given out during very special occasions. Plus, I got my own balloon to complete my ensemble!
In attendance were the fabulously dressed Hazed, and as she is the publisher, I have nothing but glorious things to say about her outfit, especially the black leather workman's boots. Some of the other attendees who wore striking outfits were Madonnaboi who was there resplendent in his black corset, metallic cone bra, 8 inch heels and blonde ponytail like a certain 20th Century entertainer. Art was atop her usual pedestal, put there by all her admirers. Rissa had on a dress of blue that swirled, then clinged for no apparent reason... an interesting twist! Freya had on her obligatory 5 inch heels. Kes was there in a ruby strapless dress, with ruby heels and earrings. Her escort, Paladin was there in a tuxedo with a ruby red bowtie and cummerbund. Lirimaer was wearing a black, semi-sheer, backless dress. Others in attendance were Fancy and Antonia, Vlad and Sissy, Ron, Maggie, Heather, Roger, Racingnut, Devaberial, Neecerie, Blaze, Siencia, Skydancer, Shel, Jythier, Chamberlain, Xuul, Cruise, Luceano, Ferreri, Roselie, Fang, Killer, Moonus and a brief visit from Rasal. Forgive me if I forgot to mention anyone or your possibly fabulous outfits, but there were so many people there. Remember to TB me if you want me to look at your outfit and I will mention you.. Don't forget to tell me the designer, too!
Party poppers were handed out to those who turned up early, and they were soon being fired off, sending streamers flying across the room and covering everyone in glitter.
The festivities started when everyone was led by Hazed and Freya to the roof for a grand parade. Highlights of the parade included a RoboCop, a marching band, a troupe of smartly dressed clowns, animatronic elephants, and a pied piper leading a stream of marsrats with his pipe-playing. Next came the Rigellian ambassador riding in a grand chariot! It was so good to see her in the parade as I haven't seen her in ages! I waved to her and she waved happily back. I do hope the Interstellar Link can be repaired soon so she can return home. ::sighs::
The parade continued with more aliens, a giant Marillion, as well as a multi-armed Altarian on a mighty Optherian Crystal Organ. I instantly recognized him as the player in CDs. And, he played all my favorite tunes! The children seemed especially mesmerized by his playing. So nice to see the young people take an interest in the classics. Next came the marines and Imperial Navy cadets who looked so sharp as they marched in perfect step with each other. The young women all swooned in unison and I must admit my heart did flutter a little, dearies. They were followed a hologram of Valkyries riding across the skies, drum majorettes, a particularly ditzy group of cheerleaders who had trouble spelling Chez Diesel. A muffled but polite snicker rose from the crowd, embarrassing the cheerleaders, but not diminishing their spirit as they bounced down the parade route. Next came a certain float which I will not mention, as I was shocked that Diesel would allow such a float in this festive parade. Let me just say that Venus will never be free as they might imagine...never! Next came acrobats, tumblers, jugglers and stilt walkers leading to my favorite part of the parade, Selena of the Spaceways riding the famed Pegasus! What a delightful surprise to have them both here, although Pegasus looked slightly irritated to be here. And, the last float was those self-prescribed crackpots, the followers of Gaelaan with a holo of their leader. The parade finished with a flyover of the Imperial Navy ships such as the Xerxes and Vega and the aerial acrobatic team, The Lilac Lasers.
The highlight of the party came a bit later when most everyone dressed up in corsets and seamless stockings and, led by Freya and Kes, paraded up and down Mars in two giant Conga lines. The two lines snaked up and down the main road on Mars, going as far south as the Spaceport, running through the Mars Market and around the tree at the crossroads numerous times until the partiers collapsed back in CDs completely exhausted. Not often you will see a conga line with rejects from a bad Rocky Horror floor show parading around Mars. Although, we could have done without Vlad dressing up like all the women. Fashion alert... pasty skin does not look appealing in a corset.
The end of the party brought the Illustrious Leader Bella into our midst, where we all congregated on the roof again for a truly fabulous fireworks show. And, that, Ladies and Gentlemen, brought the official Fed2 Gala to an end. However, the party went on well into the night. I felt bad leaving early, but this party was a working event for this intrepid reporter and she had a long night of writing ahead of her if this review was to make it into the next edition.
But, it looks like I made it dahhhlllings! Thanks to all who made the party a true joy! Ta ta for now, Dahhhhhhlings!
A MOVE FOR THE BETTER
By Elijah
By the time you read this I will be back from an excursion to the home of my Grandparents. (Tight beams of condolences will be welcomed.) During this excursion I will be assisting the world's most stubborn grandparents into a move from their large three-bedroom house into an apartment roughly one-fourth the size of their current living space. Half of their stuff needs to be sold, given away, or thrown out.
My grandparents don't want to move, but have acknowledged that they need to change. Their quality of life has slowly been declining and they have become burdened with too much house, too little money, and too big of a gap from family.
Their attachment to the house they have lived in for the past 20+ years is expected and understandable. I stay in a hotel overnight and I feel an eerie connection to it. There is something about life that seems to haunt places. Every time I travel to my family cabin, long forgotten memories flood my senses. On my recent a trip to Disneyland I noticed that just walking down "Main Street" brought back vibrations of wholesome family fun that I'm sure just attacks the grumpiest cynic and forces them into ear-to-ear smiles.
Of course my grandparents' attachment extends beyond the walls of their house. Many of the things that fill that house will have to be parted with. They have 9 rooms and a garage that needs to be consolidated into a two-bed room apartment. (One bedroom if my mother has her way.) Their house is full of trinkets from a lifetime of travels, history, and bad clutter build up. You open the front closet and my grandmother has clutter from 1940 in there. Not to mention all of the furniture that fills that house, much of it with family history, that must be given away or, yes, even sold.
This is all going to be an inconvenience for me as I don't know their friends, don't have their memories, and a lot of their stuff doesn't have much value to me. (As far as I'm concerned they can trash everything except the "Love Bug" VHS tape that I ALWAYS watched when I went to their house.) But I recognize that for them it's very overwhelming, very stressful, and very sad.
I hope that when I'm up there I'll get to point out the exciting new things that will be in their life. For example: they'll be living within their budget which means they can enjoy life more. They can travel, they can go out to dinner more often, they can afford surgeries to fix their eyes from drying up and falling out onto the floor. Basically they'll be able to do things that they've wanted and should be able to do. They'll make new friends, be able to stay in touch with old ones, and be closer to family.
But, eventually I know that my grandmother will start to seriously second guess the move; even though staying means living a life that doesn't work and is no longer enjoyable. At that time I am going to point out that I think it would be foolish for her to stay. I'll share my point of view with her just as I point out that it's foolish for people not to move into Federation II.
Federation II works properly, it's enjoyable, it's improved and it is not sitting on a ticking time bomb. But most importantly the memories that we cling to in classic Fed won't be lost by moving over.
So, in closing, I share my weekend plans with you so that when people get angry with me for telling them to move their ass into Federation II I can say "I understand your pain, but get over it!"
BLOCKADE RUNNER CHAT: BELLA
With Blaze, Pirate Goddess of Fed II
The noisy din of pirates and buccaneers (the entourage) fades to the background as patrons of the club curiously watch a camera crew arrange equipment. Fresh rounds of drinks are ordered up, while Blaze rises from a corner table in Orran's Ox Roast on Earth to greet you with a warm smile.
"Welcome to the Blockade Runner Chat, and the all-new Fed II Star! I'm your hostess Blaze, and every couple of weeks I interview a different Federation II personality as we explore in-depth the views that each guest has of our Fed universe. Today I am privileged to present the person who has made this launch possible... the Rigellian character of Our Illustrious Leader Alan Lenton... Please welcome BELLA!"
Bella smiles, "hello"
Blaze rises to greet Bella, planting a kiss on her cheek. She exclaims, "Welcome!"
Bella smiles and says, "fankyew"
Blaze makes sure her special guest is comfy and pours her a strong cup of coffee.
Bella waves her hand and a huge console covered with knobs and dials appears. She fiddles with the universe brightness control and the console vanishes. Blaze takes off her shades, grateful for the dimming sky and Bella smiles.
Blaze exclaims, "So Bella! This is IT! The big launch of Fed II will have happened by the time this interview airs!"
Bella smiles, "I hope so"
Blaze asks, "Hope so? You have doubts?"
Bella says, "well the launch should be OK, but you never know - the co-lo in which we are based could be hit by an earthquake"
Blaze looks puzzled, "Co-lo?"
Bella says, "co-location facility - it's where our computers live and all our Internet connectivity is based"
Blaze asks, "That's all still in NYC, right?"
Bella says, "No now they are just over the river in New Jersey and I'm told anything can happen in New Jersey"
Blaze asks, "Well I think they'll be safe from an earthquake nonetheless! Is the game at the point you'd wanted it to be before going live?"
Bella smiles, "My games are never at the point where I want them to go live - but you have to draw a line somewhere or they would never go live - there would always be an extra tweak you could do. In this case there are half a dozen other things I'd have liked to have had ready but I think there's already enough in it to make it a worthwhile experience"
Blaze drawls, "Tweaking is one thing... this is going live with an incomplete rank system..."
Bella says, "When the original went live only groundhogs and commanders were in and people paid something like $6/hour to play it!"
Blaze boggles at the insanity of that.
Bella smiles, "In fact it was several year before player planets went in. It will be somewhat faster this time."
Blaze asks, "Do you anticipate that being the case here?"
Bella says, "No - remember Fed1 was the first major program I'd written and I was still learning to program then"
Blaze asks, "How much of your time has been spent programming versus designing Fed II?"
Bella says, "About half and half - there's quite a lot of new stuff in fed2. Balancing the game is one of the most difficult bits"
Blaze asks, "Balancing it with what?"
Bella says, "Trying to make sure that nothing is so overwhelmingly powerful that everyone does nothing else - To take an example from role-playing, if the wizard class has early access to very powerful spells then it becomes obvious that a wizard is worth two of anything else and everyone plays wizard characters, so you don't get balanced parties to play. Similarly there are things that tip the other way - in Age for instance the Butler class is not played at all"
Blaze says, "But every character in Fed already has equal opportunity to acquire the same skills"
Bella says, "yes and no - some players have much more powerful front ends than other which allow them to send strings of commands very fast. That can cause serious imbalances. Though why people would want to pay to have their computer play my computer while they do other things I've never quite figured out"
Blaze asks, "Is that the reason for customs stops, and random Akaturi assignments? To slow down those with faster means to do the jobs?"
Bella says, "Not so much that as to give bonuses to those who are paying attention. The wait for the stevedores is to slow down things"
Blaze asks, "What sorts of bonuses do they receive?"
Bella says, "If you get stopped by customs you get your current gtu zeroed and an extra 15gtu to complete the job - most people should be able to parlay that into a bonus. The object of paying to play a game is, after all, to get entertainment out of it :)"
Blaze says, "I've heard some say that such high requirements as have been implemented is not entertaining at all, but encourages methods to work around the tedium."
Bella smiles, "Ah yes - but if people didn't use such methods then I would be able to put the requirements down. However, experience indicates that there are always people who use those sort of facilities"
Blaze winks, "It sounds like a Catch 22 then"
Bella says, "It is indeed, and virtually all the on-line game designers face this problem at some time. It is possible, though, to do reasonably well at getting trader credits if you pay attention - I changed the way the random extra high pay jobs were generated not long ago"
Blaze asks, "We've had one player who has seemingly gone out of his way to catch bugs in the system... one time going into debt by millions when buying a ship, plus other things. Is such a player an annoyance or a benefit to you?"
Bella says, "There are always people who get their kicks out of trying to destroy other people's work - usually they concentrate on spoiling it for other players, but if they get the opportunity to spoil it for everyone, then they seem to think that it's a big bonus. One of the reasons for leaving it in beta for 6 months was to catch things like that"
Bella considers, "So the answer is no he doesn't annoy me. He was just doing what I wanted him to do. Whether he did it for the reasons I wanted him to do it was immaterial." She smiles.
Blaze asks, "Are you concerned that other such major bugs may still exist?"
Bella says, "Of course, but so far the game has proved remarkably stable"
Blaze agrees that it is infinitely more stable than AOL beta was.
Bella says, "Fed1 lasted about 20min when it first went public - and that was with two players - Hazed and another woman whose name escapes me. They were sitting next to one another in the public library at Sutton in London."
Blaze asks, "Will the game auto reset now in the event of a crash?"
Bella says, "oh yes - it always does that"
Blaze asks, "You mentioned all the new features of Fed II... what are some of your favorite new ones?"
Bella says, "Well tops has to be the new events system which allows a lot more flexibility without coding - for instance the complaints booth in the GA [Galactic Administration] is entirely events driven. I would have liked to have had more events scripts implemented before we went live, but a lot can be done with what's already in... like the teleporter disk system in The Lattice. Also I think AK [Akaturi jobs at the adventurer rank] are better then more plain hauling at adventurer"
Blaze asks, "I know Hazed writes the locations, do you write the events?"
Bella says, "No - whoever writes the planets gets to do the whole lot - Hazed did the re-write of the Sol map."
Blaze asks, "And the new asteroids?"
Bella says, "There are five asteroids/moons that will be available to players when we go live: The Lattice, which I did; Brass and Phobos, which Hazed did; Rhea from Art; and Sumatra from Freya."
Blaze asks, "Are there plans for other such Sol areas which players will be able to aspire to write?"
Bella says, "Depends if someone can come up with a good reason/idea and they are capable of writing well, then there is a reasonable chance. The requirements for a planet in the solar system are a lot more stringent than those for player planets."
Blaze smiles, "That's good news for a talented player who wants to help create history, so ta speak"
Bella says, "I should warn you that there is a world of difference between writing a planet for yourself and writing one to a given story"
Blaze winks, "Well a player planet is mostly ego-driven"
Bella says, "yes - but sol planets have to conform to their development level in what's in them and they have to have a proper story, and they have to be much more consistent"
Blaze looks somber a moment as she asks you a serious question, "Bella... there is not one source of water in all of Sol. Not a lake, a creek, a well rig... how do we as a group of races survive without water?" She swears this has nothing to do with being a pirate, and her sister a mermaid.
Bella says, "You can only get into the area around the spaceport and city - everywhere else is off limits because it's agricultural land needed to feed the population which lives underground. There is plenty of water out there. :) The surface is much too valuable to allow people to -live- on it."
Blaze sighs, thinking if only she could set sail for it.
Bella notes, "you would have it all to yourself... apart from automated carriers"
Blaze interjects, "And my crew!"
Bella asks, "you make your own crew walk the plank if there is no one else available?"
Blaze exclaims, "Its a legitimate question, nary a body of water to sail. A pirate goddess must consider such things!"
Bella just grins and says, "I thought pirates frequented the interplanetary wastes in this day and age."
Blaze confesses to Bella that all trade routes are pretty dry these days, interplanetary as well, what with no missiles yet!
Bella fishes around in her pockets and gives Blaze a missile.
Blaze sheepishly hoards it while Bella smiles.
Blaze pours Bella some more coffee as she ponders, "So when did you really start planning the design of Fed II?"
Bella says, "Three weeks before Christmas - when I was in NYC fixing the Fed 1 servers"
Blaze asks, "So the Big Crash of 2003 is what spurred any thought of a New Fed?"
Bella says, "Well obviously we had been aware that Fed needed re-writing, but it was not intended to do that until after Age went live, which proved to be a much larger task than originally anticipated. Really we need two separate income streams to pay for all the expenses. Fed is really only one. Hopefully two Feds will at least make it one and a half!"
Blaze points out, "The Age project has been ongoing for about 7 or 8 years now..."
Bella says, "I know, that's because there isn't anything else like it, so we had to learn as we went along. It's been re-written from scratch three times"
Blaze asks, "Do you think you'll get a lot of people who play only Fed I *or* Fed II?"
Bella says, "I think it's pretty unlikely people will play both - they each have a different style of play, that's one of the reasons why we won't be closing Fed1 until the machine it runs on dies. There is a bunch of new stuff that isn't in Fed1 going in to Fed2 at the level after trader that will be different from what Fed1 people are used to"
Blaze asks, "It will be a whole new planet economy, won't it be?"
Bella says, "I would expect so. Sometimes it's difficult to predict exactly what will happen - new behaviour emerges from the interactions of the players with one another and the game"
Blaze asks, "Do you think players who've never played Fed1 before will have an easy time adapting to Fed II because of that?"
Bella says, "Probably - there are inevitably 'gotchas' when you move to a game which is familiar but slightly different. More so than a move to one that's completely different. That's why I put in the Help on commands that have changed. If you type 'orbit' - the Fed1 command - for instance, it tells you that the new command is board"
Blaze says, "Right... like in my mortal years, I would work as crew on one ship that had different Articles of Piracy than under the command of a new ship. It was essentially the same, just the inner workings were tough to adapt to without recalling the way "things were.""
Bella nods.
Blaze asks, "Do you have any idea what the merchant rank will consist of?"
Bella says, "Yes - I'm already working on the structure of it - like trader it will be in two halves - the first half is trading commodity options, the second adds commodity futures. Don't worry - I will write a tutorial before it goes in :)"
Blaze asks, "No factories??"
Bella says, "That's at a later level. I want to try to avoid levels that are more of the same as the previous level"
Blaze asks, "Bella, when was the last time you actually PLAYED your own game?"
Bella says, "You can't - obviously I played it to test - but in real terms you can never play your own game. One of the more frustrating aspects of being a game designer. I play Sid Meier's Civ III for relaxation :)"
Blaze asks, "Then how do you get actual feedback from the players?"
Bella exclaims, "Well there are two ways - first all of the players have never hesitated to tell what they want - especially if they didn't like it! And secondly, we kept an eye out for those who were good at reporting errors in such a way that we could figure out what they were reporting. We recruited those people into a formal test team"
Bella says, "In a way it is a self selecting process - you have to have an eagle eye and be prepared to keep going over the same territory till we get it right. Being on the test team can be terrible boring - by the time what you are testing works properly you never want to see it again!"
Blaze asks, "Are you getting the sort of feedback from the test team that you need, seeing as that they now work for you, instead of being naturally critical?"
Bella says, "Yes - it's really highly specialised work, but it also means that I have to take care not to get snappy at their 'criticism' of stuff I've slaved over. Sometime I just temporarily enroll every one in the game like the other day when there was a bug that crashed it - I fixed the bug and asked everyone to do AK jobs as fast as they could"
Blaze grins at Bella, "Can you give an example of where you had to use caution in response to criticism?"
Bella smiles sarcastically, "There was some criticism - totally unjustified, of course - of my grammar. It's sometime difficult not to bristle."
Blaze winks, "There is the Queen's English vs American English standards, you know."
Bella smiles, "yes - I'm aware of the inadequacies of the US dictionaries... "
Blaze scoffs at the idea of using the Oxford dictionary instead of Webster's!
Bella says, "Actually there is a problem, and it's not confined to the US. It is that the use of computerised grammar checkers is reducing writing to a sort of bland grey meaningless pap. Try putting the Gettysburg address - a magnificent and powerful piece - through the Microsoft grammar checker"
Blaze asks, "Seriously though, that annoys you, when cultural grammar is questioned?"
Bella says, "no - it doesn't really annoy me - it causes difficulties, but it is a necessary part of getting it right - Hazed has a set of overall rules for handling those sort of cultural conflicts - you can roughly sum it up as US spelling and US or British grammar. And normally when I write it goes through three revisions - the original, then I revise it and then I send it off to Hazed to proofread"
Blaze asks, "Are you pleased overall with the work that the test team has done, or would you still be recruiting to keep fresh blood in it?"
Bella says, "I'm really pleased, they've been fabulous, some of them are moving over to other jobs when we go live, but we will keep a test team going, tho perhaps not with as many people, and we will probably recruit new members from time to time. Being a member of the test team requires patience and a good knowledge of the English language - both to spot typos and to be able to report complex errors accurately."
Blaze asks, "So will you be attending the Fed Launch Gala this upcoming weekend?"
Bella smiles, "Yes - I'll be there - Hazed will be there to start it off, I'll be in later on in the celebrations. I've already added a tour of the solar system for the occasion"
Blaze smiles, "The Galaxy looks forward to feting your hard work at the party... I'm sure it will pay off greatly"
Bella smiles, "why thank you "
Past interviews from Blockade Runner Chat can be found at http://poopdeck.home.comcast.net/brc.html.
FROM THE SOCIETY NEWS DESK: WEDDING REPORT
By Lady Lulu 'Buffie' Capturfilingham
Fed II's Inaugural Wedding
Helloooooo Dahlings! I was still recovering from the Gala Opening Party when I received an invitation to the wedding of Kes and Paladin. Well, as tired as I was, I just couldn't say no to attending what was destined to become the Fed II Inaugural Wedding.
The wedding took place on Tuesday night in the Orchards on the planet Rhea. Icedrake, the old Devourer of Planets, kindly(?) agreed to officiate. Kes's Bridesmaids were Freya, Maggie, Lirimaer and Neecerie. Paladin's Groomsmen were Elijah, Vlad and Elisha. Yes, dearies, it seems to be a mismatched number, but it was rumored that there were a couple of missing unidentified Groomsmen. And Aerie was the Flower Girl. In attendance were Chara, Gwarrior, Sissy, Fancy, Madonnaboi and Jazir.
The Bride wore a pure white halter dress whose long organza skirt trailed a chapel train. The velvet bodice was dashed with an orchid from which hangs a jaunted sash. The veil hung to her elbows from a tiara upon her mass of black curls. A wonderful sight to behold! The Bridesmaids all wore splendid dresses of jade green.
The ceremony could only be described as unique, but with Icedrake presiding, what else could be expected? I am sure it was not the picture perfect wedding that Kes had imagined, as Icedrake kept accidentally referring to Paladin's old flames in error. Heavens! I could have sworn I saw Freya smirking with every faux pas by Icedrake, but I am sure it was the mist in my eye that caused me to be seeing things. Regardless, Kes seemed to be no worse for the wear, and after some splendid vows by both Bride and Groom, Icedrake proclaimed them husband and wife. And then, it was off to Chez Diesel for the reception!
A magnificent time was had by all, but by the look in Kes's and Paladin's eyes, I am sure they had the finest time. If you have comments or just want to drop me a note to let me know of upcoming events, please do so! Ta ta for now, Dahhhhhhlings!
THE FEDIVERSE 101: THE PAST AND THE FUTURE
by Dr. J. E. Gottemult-Uneaeh
Welcome, fedizens, to this week's installment of The Fediverse 101, the one and only source for cultural insight in the galaxy – as if you didn't know that already!
This week I was kept very busy at home on Mars, preparing for the opening of the new Chez Diesel and all the weekend festivities that go along with the celebration of a new age of human existence. Ever since the end of the fearful emperor Ming's stranglehold on the galaxy, we have had to scrape by and reorganize ourselves and all our institutions. Now that those chores have been completed, we can enjoy our new universe.
With a change in leadership comes the exploration of a new frontier. Areas of space which were previously uninhabited are now being opened to the public, such as Sumatra and Rhea. The drive towards the unknown is a fundamental characteristic of human civilization itself. Human beings (and others) often exhibit a fear of the unknown, but along with that fear is a curiosity that seems inextinguishable. This curiosity is sometimes called the "pioneer spirit" and it has taken on many forms throughout Terran history. Most notoriously is the "Manifest Destiny" movement present in the United States during the 1800s A.P. Many Americans felt compelled to settle the North American continent from sea to sea, as if it was a commandment from their God or some other fated occurrence. This same curiosity pushed the Roman and Aztec empires to expand their borders, pushed the USSR to put the first man in space, the U.S. to land others on the moon and led to the first settlements on Mars and Venus in our recent past. Of course, there are many other factors such as the accumulation of wealth, prestige and power that go along with all these historical events, but they would not have happened without the ongoing sense of curiosity present in the human psyche.
Despite this innate curiosity, humans are also nostalgic creatures. Humans seem to always be looking forward to the future and backward to the past at the same time – an impressive feat. No matter what wondrous ice cavern on Doris or sandy mine on Venus you call home, there is still a yearning for the comforts and artifacts of the mother planet. Looking at the delicate items shipped through Armstrong-Cuthbert these days, such as posters of Denmark's Tivoli Gardens and genuine Java coffee beans gives me a sense that Earth may be far away, but it is not forgotten. Many of those who went out to the frontier still have family at home and those kinship ties alone will hold their gaze backwards.
The past is important to remember for it teaches us about how we got to our present state of being and the triumphs and tragedies we experienced along the way should not be forgotten, but embraced as a learning experience. Still, with that in mind, a bright future stands before all the citizens of the Federation and I sincerely hope that all – Humans, Martians, Venusians and others alike – will take the opportunity to embrace it.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed my ethnographic eye on the galaxy. Join me later for another edition of The Fediverse 101.
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